PORT ST. LUCIE – With the bounce back in his step, and a smile back on his face, Jose Reyes said yesterday he felt 95 percent healthy and expected to be back at Shea Stadium in the near future.

The Mets shortstop-turned-second baseman has struggled with a right hamstring injury for the past two months but seemed close to making a return to the big leagues. The team remained cautious when asked for a timetable for Reyes’ comeback, but is confident it’s not too far off.

“We’re taking his rehab day-by-day for his sake and everyone’s sake,” GM Jim Duquette said in a phone interview. “We do feel like he’s getting close to playing a rehab assignment. He’s real close. That’s the best way to characterize it.”

Yesterday he ran the bases full speed at the Mets’ minor league complex here for the first time since re-injuring his leg April 30, clearing another hurdle in his recovery. He already had been taking batting practice and fielding ground balls.

Asked how it felt to run again, Reyes flashed a big smile; no words were necessary.

He then passed along a message for the New York fans: “Be patient. I’ll be there soon.”

He can’t get to Shea soon enough for the Mets. Reyes was thought to be the centerpiece of a speedy, defense-oriented 2004 team.

Then, on March 14, he strained his hamstring. He re-injured it on March 31 during batting practice and again three weeks ago. What was viewed in March as a minor setback became an exasperating situation for the organization.

During the Post’s two-hour visit with the 20-year-old, he seemed upbeat, smiling and laughing most of the time. Wearing a blue T-shirt, black shorts and a white sock as a headband, he playfully boxed with one of the minor leaguers in the clubhouse, practiced his swing in the mirror of the weight room, and danced to the sounds of a Neptunes CD between exercises. He repeatedly said he felt “very good” and “ready.”

Reyes acknowledged that the long rehabilitation process has been frustrating but said he is no longer thinking about his injury, which he referred to as “that thing.” He said he believed the last time he attempted to come back he was too concerned about his leg.

“If I worry too much, that thing will come back,” Reyes said.

He said the turning point in his recovery came when he took 1 ½ weeks off after the April 30 injury. He gave the leg rest, staying off the fields and out of the weight room.

The Mets then hired Vern Gambetta for the newly created position of director of strength and conditioning. Gambetta, who has experience with track athletes, has worked to improve Reyes’ mechanics when he runs. The training staff now believes the way Reyes ran may have contributed to his injury. They want Reyes to generate power from his lower torso rather than just his legs.

“We feel this is a major part in him staying healthy now and into the future, this refining of his running mechanics,” Duquette said.

Reyes also spent three days with Dr. Mark Lindsay, a chiropractor from Toronto, who came to Port St. Lucie last week. Lindsay massaged and stretched Reyes’ legs. Reyes said both men helped his recovery dramatically.

Reyes typically spends between 5-6 hours at the complex a day receiving treatment and working out. After that, it’s back to his hotel or to hang out with some of the minor league players from his native Dominican Republic with whom he has become close.

Most of Reyes’ time at the hotel is occupied by watching HBO or ESPN. Reyes said he only has seen the Mets play a few times this year because their games usually are not broadcast here. That may be for the better. Watching his would-be teammates is frustrating for Reyes.